cholesterol supplements and testing

[Lindsayf]

Hi all

Does anyone know if you should stop taking cholesterol supplements prior to a cholesterol test? Sorry it’s not a thyroid question but not sure who else to ask

Thank you

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Do you mean how long before test should you stop taking statins?

[Lindsayf in reply to SlowDragon]

My mum has been taking a natural supplement to see if she could lower her levels from her last test results. She isn’t on statins currently.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Lindsayf]

So probably take right up to test

What supplements

Does she have a thyroid problem?

[Lindsayf in reply to SlowDragon]

It’s a Solgar supplement. No she doesn’t have a thyroid issue.

[greygoose]

What's in the supplement?

[Lindsayf in reply to greygoose]

Phytosterol Complex Softgels

[greygoose in reply to Lindsayf]

Hmmm... That's rather obscure. But, why does she want to reduce her cholesterol anyway? It won't harm her. It doesn't cause strokes or heart attacks, and if it's high, it's for a reason. It's the reason that needs to be investigated. And the reason isn't eating too much fat.

It's interesting that some of the ingredients are said to reduce inflammation, which would - theoretically - reduce cholesterol. But, are you sure she hasn't got a thyroid problem? Has she ever had her FT3 tested? Because low FT3 is a major cause of high cholesterol.

[Lindsayf in reply to greygoose]

The GP has said that it’s genetic as she is healthy. They scared her and said her arteries could block and then she could have a stroke or heart attack and told her she needs statins. She doesn’t want them so tried the natural path. She had her Thyriod tested years ago and the FT3 was in range but it’s definitely worth another test. I’ll get her a private one.

[greygoose in reply to Lindsayf]

Yes, it is worth another test.

If she's healthy then cholesterol is not going to block her arteries and cause a heart attack, that's not true. But, they just want to peddle their statins to as many people as possible.

Have a look at this article, it explains a lot:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[helvella Administrator]

Do you mean this:

Red Yeast Rice Vegetable Capsules

solgar.com/products/red-yea...

I suggest you read the link below. (I know this is a USA link but most of the decent links are on USA sites.)

Red Yeast Rice: What You Need To Know

What is red yeast rice?

Red yeast rice is produced by fermentation of a yeast on rice. The yeast is usually Monascus purpureus.

Depending on the yeast strain used and the conditions of fermentation, the yeast can enrich the rice with substances known as monacolins, including monacolin K. Monacolin K is structurally identical to the medicine lovastatin.

Lovastatin, like other statin drugs, helps slow the production of cholesterol in the body to decrease the amount of cholesterol that may build up on the walls of arteries and block blood flow to the heart, brain, and other parts of the body. Statin drugs are used together with diet, weight loss, and exercise to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Red yeast rice comes in the forms of food, traditional Chinese medicine, dietary supplements, and other products.

How much monacolin K is in red yeast rice?

Traditional red yeast rice may contain trace amounts of monacolin K (lovastatin).

Some commercial red yeast rice products contain very little or no detectable monacolin K. Other products, however, have been found to contain large amounts of monacolin K. Some researchers reported that commercial lovastatin is illegally added to some red yeast rice products.

It’s impossible for consumers to know the amount of monacolin K in red yeast rice products. Levels of monacolin K and lovastatin are not usually included on product labels. A 2017 review analyzed 28 brands of red yeast rice products from mainstream retailers in the United States, and none of the products included the quantity of monacolin K on the label. Monacolin K was not detected in two brands, and in the 26 brands that contained monacolin K, the quantity ranged more than 60-fold, from 0.09 to 5.48 mg per 1,200 mg of red yeast rice.

Rest of article here:

nccih.nih.gov/health/red-ye...

And why does she want to reduce her cholesterol levels?

[Lindsayf in reply to helvella]

Phytosterol Complex Softgels is what she takes. She was told to consider Statins but wanted to try a supplement first. Her cholesterol (bad one) was high but she doesn’t want to take statins. She is vegetarian, doesn’t smoke or drink and is active

[helvella Administrator in reply to Lindsayf]

Phytosterols are very different - and I don't know much about them. But below is a link that might be of some interest. Though rather heavy going!

Phytosterols: From Preclinical Evidence to Potential Clinical Applications.

europepmc.org/article/MED/3...